Chapter 4: Warthog Hustle
Zootopia, Streets….Minutes later
Rollins, Nick and Judy were quickly making their way to Zootopia General to question the cheetah from the day before, specifically where he got this drug and from whom.
Rollins was wasting no time at the wheel, careening into and out of traffic to get there as quickly as possible, the case was already 24 hours old and they had to make up for lost time.
The trio eventually made it to the hospital and asked for the Oryx doctor, who greeted them at the front desk area.
"Well good day officers, what can I help you with" the doctor asked.
"The cheetah we brought in yesterday, we need to speak with him." Asked Judy
"Alright, right this way" he replied motioning his hoof down the hallway.
The doctor led them to the patient rooms.
"I should warn you he has been in and out of consciousness, so try not to stress him too much." He advised, as he reached to open the door.
As the door swung open, the four looked in to find an empty bed.
"Oh dear." The doctor muttered.
"Where is he Doc?!" demanded Rollins.
"He should BE here." Replied the Doctor.
"Where is security, Doc?" demanded Rollins
"It's this way." He replied.
The doctor quickly led them to security, the guard there was manning a bank of several monitors and recording equipment.
"Can you cue up the footage from outside patient room A-113?" Judy asked the guard.
"Yeah, give me a second." the guard replied.
The guard dialed up one of the monitors to a camera angle just down the hall from the cheetah's room, he queued back the feed. The three watched as a warthog approached the cheetah's door, looking back to check over his shoulder, then went in, a couple of minutes or so later, the warthog plus the cheetah came out, and walked down the hallway, leaving the hospital.
"Stop, the footage right there please." Asked Rollins.
The guard stopped the footage just as the video had them pass out the front door of the hospital.
"Son of a bitch!" exclaimed Rollins.
"What is it?" asked Judy.
"Not what, who. Tyrell Wiggins, little small time dealer that I've dealt with, little bastard." Rollins exclaimed.
"Do you know where he is going?" Judy asked.
"Last I checked he was in juvie, guess he got out, must be rolling with a new crew. I know what neighborhood he lives in though."
"Can I get a copy of this footage?" Judy asked the guard.
"Yeah, I got it." Replied the guard.
The guard took a blank CD out of a stack of blanks and put it in the disc tray, pressing a couple of buttons and queuing the video, and recorded the security footage segment to the disc. After popping it out, he places it in a paper disc envelope and gives it to Judy.
"We done here?" asked Rollins.
"Yup, let's go." She replied.
The trio made their way out to Rollins car and get in. Rollins starts the car and jams it into gear, They lurch back as Rollins hits the gas with force. Neither Nick nor Judy knew where they were going, but Rollins was very much angry about the prospect.
At first Judy was a bit reluctant to open her mouth but Nick picking up on the emotion took the bolder approach.
"So….You know this this Wiggins?" Nick asked.
At first Rollins didn't answer, choosing to ignore the question. Several minutes of an uncomfortable silence later, Rollins cleared his throat.
"Yeah, I do. Let's just say, I gave the kid some breaks because I didn't want to break his mother's heart."
The drive took almost half an hour to get to Wiggin's neighborhood; they parked across the street from a basketball court. Rollins turned to the duo in the car.
"Do me a favor and stand back, I don't want to scare these people off."
The duo nodded as they got out of the car with Rollins, they went across the street, Nick and Judy hanging back while Rollins went into the court, approaching a group of youth mammals.
"Hey…..Barry, isn't it?" Rollins said to a young otter
"What'd you want copper?" he replied with disrespect.
"I want to know where Tyrell is?" Rollins asked seriously.
"I haven't seen 'em." The otter replied dismissively.
"Kid….I'm not in the mood. Tell me where he is." The cougar demanded.
"I'm tellin' you, I ain't seen him." the otter replied back defensively.
"Barry, we know that's crap and we both know it."
The group scattered, with the otter youth trying to run, but within an instant Rollins grabbed him, and slammed him into the chain link.
"Hey, this is police brutality!" screamed out the otter youth.
"Kid, this is gonna go one of two ways, easy or hard."
While holding the youth with one paw, and deploying claws from his other paw to show the otter.
"And, I don't think you want the hard way." The cougar threatened.
Nick and Judy sprang into action, they moved quickly and got onto the basketball court with Rollins.
"Rollins! What are you doing?" asked Judy worried.
"Carrots!" Nick said, holding back his partner.
Rollins ignored them and continued to scowl at the otter.
"Look, why are you protecting someone who doesn't give a crap about you. You don't need to get scratched up for him." Rollins explained.
"Scratched up?" replied the otter in fear.
"Yeah…..scratched up." The cougar replied lightly holding the exposed claws on his right paw on the teenager's face.
"Rollins, stop!" demanded Judy, jumping against Nick's paws.
Rollins ignored Judy still gauging the otter's reaction, his eyes darting back and forth between Rollins and Judy, as if waiting for her to stop him. Rollins dug the claws in slightly into the youth's cheek, which he yelled out.
"OK, OK, Stop! I'll tell you where he is! Just don't claw me."
Rollins put the kid on the ground, Judy and Nick approached alongside Rollins.
"Alright kid, spill it!" demanded the cougar.
"He's over at the alley off fifth, his usual spot he conduct his "business" from." He explained
"He better BE there. Or I'm coming back." Rollins warned
"Yeah, he's there." The otter insisted.
"Now you might want to thank the nice rabbit."
"Why?"
"Because had she not said anything you'd have some new ventilation in your head, now thank her." He demanded
"Thank you miss rabbit." The otter replied unenthusiastically
"Officer Hopps." Rollins corrected.
"Yeah, thank you ms officer Hopps." The otter replied again.
The trio turned to leave and the kid bolted as fast as he could, they continued to Rollins' car and got in.
"Fifth Avenue is right around the corner." Said Rollins
"I'm sorry, I have to say something….Was that really necessary?" asked Judy while scowling at Rollins.
"Hey, you gotta be tough on these kids." Rollins explained.
"Tough?! You were going to claw him!" She replied with incredulity.
"No I wasn't, not really. But you have to put the fear of god into them."
"Why? Because of some power trip?" she accused.
"Absolutely not!" he dismissed.
"Then why?"
"You wanna know why?"
"That's what I asked didn't I."
Rollins spun around and glared Judy right in the muzzle.
"Well let me tell you something Hopps, let me tell you BOTH something. Do you think criminals just pop out of their mothers just waiting to commit crimes?"
Judy was taken aback by the statement and didn't know how to respond. Rollins simply continued.
"No, they don't. They are young punks like Wiggins, like Barry back there, and if you want them to stay on the straight and narrow, you got to let them know that even going outside the line even once comes with harsh realities."
"I didn't do that to him to get off on it. I did it because I don't want that boy growing up to be a thug and a hood."
"You want to know WHY I'm taking this personally now? Because I'm FROM this neighborhood, yeah, this run down piece of shit place. I'm from here, and I've known hundreds of kids like Wiggins and Barry, good kids that get caught up in some bad shit. And before you know it, they turned bad, no better than the pieces of crap like Bellwether."
"And sure, it's not the paw holding, singing Kumbaya. Sometimes to keep these kids good, you got to put the fear of god into them, sure they hate you for it now, but you'll save them and they thank you for it later. Ask Wilde, I'm sure he's seen his fair share of this kind of stuff."
Judy turned to Nick, as if waiting for a reply.
"Rollins, don't put in this position." Nick replied shaking his head.
"Nick?" Judy asked.
Nick didn't want to contradict his partner but knew that Rollins brought up good points. Nick sighed heavily, feeling between a rock and a hard place.
"Look, I've seen a lot of stuff in my days, some of it really messed up. I've seen a mole get knifed over twenty bucks; I've seen drug deals gone bad. I've seen a lot of animals; adults and kids alike get hurt over stupid stuff. I didn't say anything because, I was a fox, and it's none of my business. But yeah, I think like anybody, I wish I could have saved them."
"Judy, It's bad on these streets sometimes, you gotta do some stuff to survive. And it's especially hard on inner city kids." Lamented Nick, as if speaking from personal experience.
Nick simply finished by looking down as if remembering a bad memory. Judy picked up on this, she was expecting herself to be angry at being ganged up on like this, but her concern shifted to Nick, she wondered what he could be talking about, making a mental note about it for later. Judy heaved a sigh.
"Look, we can discuss the finer points of interrogation later, we have to get this Wiggins, but I still want to talk about this." Judy said.
"Duly noted, now let's go." Replied Rollins
Rollins started the car, and headed towards Fifth Avenue
Zootopia..Fifth Avenue..Minutes Later
Like a bolt out the blue, they arrived upon Wiggins' spot, Rollins stopping the car to cut off the alley. Nick and Judy were already out of the car when Wiggins' eyes went wide and he started to bolt down the alley.
"Hopps, Wilde, get him" barked Rollins.
The two ran after the warthog down the alley, Tyrell tilting the occasional trash can or box, something to slow down his pursuers. Judy would jump over the obstacle or push it out of the way, and Nick would follow her paw steps to keep right behind her.
Wiggins had made it to the other side of the alley and was about to burst onto the street when Rollins' car came into view from the left, stopping right in the warthog's path, he ran full tilt into the front quarter panel and stopped abruptly, knocking himself into a daze.
Judy and Nick picked up the warthog and dusted him off. The warthog was at first apprehensive until he caught sight of Rollins, and suddenly became intimidated.
"Oh snap." He muttered.
Rollins softly pushed him into the nearby wall, and stared at him deathly in the eyes.
"I swear to God, if you don't answer the next question with absolute truth, I'm going to kick your ass, then tell you mother, and let her tear you a new one. You'll be begging me to take you to jail."
"Look I swear, whatever it is you think I did, I didn't do it." Answered the Warthog.
"And what is it you think we want you for?" Asked Nick.
"For busting my friend out of the hospital." He offered.
"Yeah. Why?" asked Rollins.
"Look, that cheetah, he's my homie, Thomas Gerry. He got into some trouble and I came to get him."
"I told him not to get 'rushed' , I told him that stuff be messed up, but he didn't listen to me."
"Rushed?" asked Judy.
"Yeah, that stuff that's been showing up on the streets lately, little squeeze things."
"You mean the little blue inhalers." asked Nick.
"yeah, yeah, those things."
"And you expect me to think you're not dealing?" asked Rollins.
"Naw, naw, that stuff be like really messed up, I ain't fooling around with that shit. Besides man, whoever's dealing that, is like REAL particular who they got dealing."
"Come on Tyrell, I've busted you for catnip, I know you like making money, you're telling me you're not trying moving up in the world."
"I swear Mr. Casey, I ain't dealing that shit. I just came to get my homie out of the hospital. I didn't want him to go to jail." Pleaded the young warthog.
Rollins looked back at Judy and Nick.
"What do you think? Is he telling the truth or is he full of shit?"
Judy walked up to the warthog and gave him a once over, he seemed genuinely scared but not of them.
"I believe you, Tyrrell. When you said 'rushed' what does that mean?"
"That's what it's called 'Rush' because that's what it gives you. A rush, makes you feel like 'awesome'."
"And you know that from personal experience?" asked Nick.
"Naw fox, I said I don't mess with it, I just see some people on the street on that shit, and that's how they look, like all intense. They be doing stupid shit when they on it too." He explained.
"Like what?" asked Nick
"Da-yum, what ain't they doing. I see em be running around, jumping , hollering, doing all sorts of crazy stuff. I even hear it makes mating like…way better." He replied putting emphasis on the end of the sentence.
Rollins chuckled "And you're telling me you've never done it?"
"Hey cat, I ain't trying to double my money if you know what I mean, I break me off some when I need it, I don't need to be doubling down. Especially if that shit lands your ass in the hospital."
"So who's dealing it?" asked Judy.
Tyrell looked around as if he was worried somebody was watching.
"I don't know man, I don't know if I should say."
"Why?" asked Judy
"I mean, I hear they go after people that try to mess with their operation."
"Tyrell?" she pushed.
"I mean, I don't want them going after my mom."
"You're kidding right?" Rollins scoffed.
"I'm serious, they do stuff like that. I mean I don't mind being low level, I git by. But these people be like, all organized and shit." Tyrell admitted.
"Look kid, you help us out, we can get these people off the street. And your life, such as it is, can go back to normal." Said Nick.
The warthog thought on it for a moment and looked at the three of them, before settling on the fox.
"Look fox, I ain't 'officially' saying anything to anybody. So while I'm not 'officially' saying anything, I'm also not 'officially' saying one of the guys involved, goes by the name 'The Metronome'." He explained.
"The Metronome?"
"Yeah, like that 'tick-tick-tick' thing I see piano players use."
"Yeah, I know what a metronome is."
"That's what people call him."
"Why?"
"Beats me." Tyrell replied with a shrug.
"But remember, I didn't say anything. And if anyone asks, I'll deny it. Because I didn't saying anything…."
"Right. 'Officially'." Nick replied back with a smile.
The trio stood back a bit to give Tyrell room to breathe, and to consider their new information.
"So, can I go now?" asked the warthog.
"Yeah kid, you can go, and keep your nose clean, or I WILL talk to you mom." Said Rollins.
The warthog youth left, the trio got back in the car. They sat for a moment to consider their current situation.
"So a dealer going by the street name 'The Metronome', dealing a new drug called 'Rush'. Anybody got any ideas where we go from here?" asked Rollins.
"I think I may be able to help out with this one." Said Nick.
"How?" Judy asked.
"Well, I still got friends who still…..operate on the other side of the law. I could check into it with them, ask around who this 'Metronome' is."
"You mean go undercover?" asked Judy.
"Kind of." Replied Nick with a bit of a reluctance in his voice.
"I tell you what, I'll drop you off at the station, I'm feeling you're going to need as small a team for this. Just keep me in the loop." Said Rollins.
Rollins had dropped them off at the station. The duo got into Nick's car and headed home. Nick had explained, he still had contacts that he could tap to see if they could put him in contact with the right people.
For Nick undercover work was no different than running a con, it's the same thing really, making someone believe you're something you're not, and getting them to do or say what you want. Nick was certain that some of his old haunts would have a recruiter or contact that could possibly lead them in the right direction.